WO2003024761A1

WO2003024761A1 - End door structure for an aluminum vehicle carrier railcar

Info

Publication number: WO2003024761A1
Application number: PCT/US2001/042203
Authority: WO
Inventors: Daryl H. Michaelian; Joel C. Haas; Michael D. Howell; Jose M. Cintron; Alan B. C. Dixon; Joe F. Englehart; Bill W. Pankey; Martin E. Pettet; Ronnie A. Shand; William J. Spicer
Original assignee: Jac Patent Company
Priority date: 2001-09-17
Filing date: 2001-09-17
Publication date: 2003-03-27

Abstract

A bi-level aluminum vehicle carrier railcar (10) utilizes an end door system for attachment to a vehicle carrier railcar (10) for opening and closing an end of the cargo space of the railcar (10). The door system includes a pair of end doors (34) that pivot about a vertical pivot axis (40). Each door (34) includes an inner door member (36) and an outer door member (38). The door members (36 and 38) are connected for movement from an aligned side-by-side position closing the cargo space when the door (34) is in the closed position to an overlapping, nested position exterior and adjacent to a side of the railcar (10) when the door (34) is in the open position. A pair of linkage assemblies (42) are provided with each extending from the pivot axis (40) to the inner door member (36) and the outer door member (38). Each linkage assembly (42) includes a main linkage arm pivotable about the vertical pivot axis (40), an inner door linkage arm extending from the main linkage arm to the inner door member (36) and an outer door linkage arm extending from the main linkage arm to the outer door member (38). Guide members (50 and 60) extend between the inner door member (36) and the outer door member (38) and between the outer door member (36) and the railcar (10) to guide the relative motion of the door members (36 and 38) during opening.

Description

END DOOR STRUCTURE FOR AN

ALUMINUM VEHICLE CARRIER RAILCAR

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to railcars for transporting vehicles, typically also called vehicle carrier railcars, and more particularly, directed toward a door system for an aluminum vehicle carrier railcar.

2. Background Information

Railcars have long been used for transporting vehicles, in particular automobiles and light trucks, long distances generally from the point of manufacture or import location to dealerships or locations where the automobiles or trucks can be subsequently transported by truck. As with other freight, a vehicle carrying railcar is designed to carry a maximum number of motor vehicles in each railcar. This has lead to the development of a bi-level or tri-level vehicle carrier railcar. In addition to the desire to carry a maximum number of vehicles on each vehicle carrier railcar, the existing railcars have been designed to minimize damage or vandalism of the vehicles such that many vehicle carrying railcars are designed as an enclosed structure. Conventionally, the existing vehicle carrier railcars are formed of steel that presents other problems for the railcar including additional weight and rust or corrosion in the cargo interior. Some attempts have been made to address this, such as a fiberglass panel articulated railcar disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,511,491.

A number of end door systems are known for railcars, such as vehicle carrier railcars. U.S. Patent No. 3,911,831 discloses a folding end door comprised of hinged panels. The panels of the door fold in overlying relationship to one another in the open position and unfold across the end of the railcar in the closed position, h the open position, the folded panels are positioned inside the railcar adjacent the sidewalls resulting in a reduced loading area. Moreover, in the closed position the panels do not extend across the gambrel roof of the railcar to prevent access into the railcar. Other folding end door systems are illustrated in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,979,335 and 5,742,192 in which a pair of hinged three-panel doors close the respective ends of the railcar. Each three-panel door extends the entire height of the car body and extends from one side of the car body to the centerline of the car body. Each three- panel door may be swung open into a position in which the three vertically extending segments of each door, a corner panel, a middle panel and a center panel, nest alongside each other inside and adjacent the respective corner post of the car body.

Other types of end enclosures usually comprise doors that slide from the closed position to a position along the inside of the sidewalls. The doors are hung from a track member that is positioned along the edge of one of the decks. A space is provided between the side of the deck and the sidewalls at the end of the railcar so that a portion of the track is spaced and substantially parallel to the sidewalls. Thus, the doors can be moved along the track to a position along the inside of the sidewalls to enable access to the interior of the railcar. A suitable guide track or ail is usually provided adjacent the bottom edges of the doors. The guide track does not hinder the operation of the door and provides security by restricting the outward movement of the lower end of the door. Thus, access may not be gained to the interior of the railcar by pulling out the bottom edges of the doors away from the opening. A door of the type being described is disclosed in more detail in U.S. Patent No. 4,437,410.

Since the edges where the roof and sidewalls are joined are sloped, it is not possible to extend the doors upwardly to completely fill the gable space and still slide the doors back along the sidewalls. The higher portion of the door would interfere with the sloped portions of the roof. Numerous schemes have been devised to attempt to fill the gable space. Some doors are built with top portions bent inwardly so that they will not interfere with the sloped portion of the roof as shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,437,410. In some cases, complicated folding panels close the gable portion of the space as shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,265,183. h yet other cases, the- gable space is simply left open, see U.S. Patent No. 3,996,860.

One manner of solving the above problem, as suggested by U.S. Patent No. 3,995,563, is to use an end closure comprising two sliding doors which move between closed and open positions. Upon opening of the doors, each door moves into an open space on the outer side of the railcar through a vertical opening in the sidewalk Each door includes an arcuate laterally outer portion and a straight laterally inner portion attached tangent to the laterally inner edge of the arcuate portion. Each door is supported to ride on an arcuate track having the same radius of curvature as the arcuate portion of the door. The door is supported on the track by rollers attached solely to the arcuate portion.

The opening in the sidewall allows the door to cover the gable portion of the space. However, the opening in the sidewall provides an undesirable degree of access to the interior of the railcar from outside, placing the contents of the railcar in jeopardy of damage from vandalism and other outside forces. In addition, support of the door on rollers only on the arcuate portion results in a relatively weak support of the laterally inward portions of the doors.

The extension of the door through the sidewall presents problems with respect to support of the required ladder at the end of the car. In the prior art, the ladder is supported by a brace beam connected to its top end. Because the door is taller than the height of the brace beam, a slot is cut in the door to allow it to open. This slot weakens the laterally outward upper corner of the door, which may be bent back to gain access to the interior of the car. The above problems were also addressed in U.S. Patent No. 4,924,780 which disclosed a track mounted, sliding, multi-panel door system for a vehicle carrier railcar. The difficulty with this proposed system is the large amount of force required to open it due to the door system's excessive height and the application of force relatively far from one of the roller tacks. Furthermore, in track based systems, the rollers will develop flat spots while resting in the closed position making track based door operating systems harder to operate. Frequent adjustment and lubrication does not adequately compensate for these causes of binding. Furthermore, in automobile or vehicle carrier railcars, lubrication is undesirable, since the lubrication will find its way into the apolstered automobiles damaging the cargo. Furthermore, in the existing track based door systems, the arc of the door allows the vehicle drive-in clearance of the railcar when the door is in the fully open position.

Consequently, there is a need to provide a door system for a railcar, such as a vehicle railcar, which eliminates tracks, rollers, flat spots or lubrication to the greatest extent possible. There is a further need to provide an end door system for a railcar which will open and be positioned flat against the outside of the railcar and, therefore, not hinder the loading and unloading of the vehicles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above objects are achieved with an aluminum vehicle carrier railcar with a door system according to the present invention. A bi-level aluminum vehicle carrier utilizes an end door system of the present invention for attachment to a vehicle carrier railcar for opening and closing an end of the cargo space of the railcar. The door system includes a pair of end doors that pivot about a vertical pivot axis. Each door includes an inner door member and an outer door member. The door members are connected for movement from an aligned side-by-side position closing the cargo space when the door is in the closed position to an overlapping, nested position exterior and adjacent to a side of the railcar when the door is in the open position. A pair of linkage assemblies are provided with each extending from the pivot axis to the inner door member and the outer door member. Each linkage assembly includes a main linkage arm pivotable about the vertical pivot axis, an inner door linkage arm extending from the main linkage arm to the inner door member and an outer door linkage arm extending from the main linkage arm to the outer door member. Guide members extend between the inner door member and the outer door member and between the outer door member and the railcar to guide the relative motion of the door members during opening.

These and other advantages of the present invention will be clarified in the detailed description of the preferred embodiment together with the attached figures in which like reference numerals represent like elements throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an aluminum vehicle carrier railcar with a door system according to the present invention with the doors in the closed position;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an aluminum vehicle carrier railcar with a door system according to the present invention with the doors in the open position; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an aluminum vehicle carrier railcar with a door system according to the present invention with the doors in a partially open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An aluminum vehicle carrier railcar 10 according to the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 1-3. The aluminum vehicle carrier railcar 10 of the present invention utilizes a steel underframe supported on a pair of spaced trucks. The steel underframe is formed with a pair of two-piece cast steel draft arms 14 (also called draft sills), a roll formed center sill (not shown) extending between the trucks and other steel underframe components. The cold formed center sill is described in U.S. Patent No. 6,119,345, which is incorporated herein by reference. An aluminum upper structure 16 is attached onto the steel underframe. The aluminum upper structure 16 includes a pair of aluminum spaced side panels 18. The side panels 18 include a plurality of spaced aluminum side stakes with perforated aluminum side sheets extending between and attached to each adjacent pair of side stakes to form the side panels 18. Only one side stake and side sheet is shown in the figures.

The side panels 18 extend between and are attached to a side sill 24 and a top chord 26. The ends of the side panels 18 include access ladders 28 near the hand brake 29. A roof structure or roof system is formed of overlapping corrugated and rolled aluminum members 30 extending between and attached to the top chord 26. The ends of the roof structure includes roof latch strikers 32 to assist in the closure of end doors 34.

Corner posts 35 are provided at the end of the side panel structure extending between the side sill 24 and the top chord 26 to provide a mounting position for the pivotable end doors 34. The doors 34, the side panel structures and the roof structure combine to form an enclosed cargo area for the aluminum vehicle carrier railcar 10. The interior compartment of the aluminum vehicle carrier 10 includes an aluminum decking and other aluminum components to prevent any substantial ferrous material from being exposed to the vehicles in the cargo area. The upper surface of the cast draft arms in the cargo area will be coated, such as by spraying or the like, to prevent exposure to the cargo interior. An advantage of the vehicle carrier railcar 10 of the present invention is that the interior is substantially all aluminum since the side walls, the decking, the roof and the doors are formed primarily of aluminum and, therefore, substantially non-corrosive. Other metal components within the interior can be formed of stainless steel or coated material or otherwise of a non-corrosive type material to essentially eliminate the rust problem in the cargo interior.

The details of the doors 34 are shown in detail in Figs. 1-3 and represent the heart of the presently claimed invention. Each door 34 includes an inner door member 36 and an outer door member 38. Each door member 36 and 38 is formed of aluminum sheets attached to a substantially aluminum framework. The aluminum door members 36 and 38 is formed of aluminum framework. The aluminum door members 36 and 38 may have minor components formed of non-aluminum such as stainless steel or the like. However, these are maintained to a mimmum for the reasons discussed above. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, each door 34 is pivotably attached to the corner post 35 through a vertical pivot axis 40. A linkage assembly 42 extends from pivot access 40 for connecting both the inner member 36 and the outer door member 38 to the railcar 10. Each linkage assembly 42 includes a main linkage arm pivotable about the vertical pivot axis 40, an inner door linkage arm extending from the main linkage arm to the inner door member 36 and an outer door linkage arm extending from the main linkage arm to the outer door member 38. A pair of guide members 50 are pivotally attached between the inner door member 36 and the outer door member 38 to guide the movement of the inner door member 36 relative to the outer door member 38 during the opening movement, i a similar fashion, a pair of guide members 60 are pivotally connected to the side panel 18 and the outer door member 38 to guide the relative movement of the outer door member 38 relative to the side panel 18 during the opening movement. As evidenced in Fig. 1, the guide members 50 and 60 are provided with an offset that allows for the nesting of the inner door member 38 within the outer door member 36 in the open position. Consequently, in the open position the inner door member 36, the outer door member 38 and the side panel 18 of the railcar 10 are substantially parallel.

Each door 34 additionally includes a locking mechanism 70 for securing the doors in the closed position which can include a striker bar locking into the roof latch plate striker 32. The locking mechanism 70 may further latch the doors 34 to each other in the closed position. Furthermore, a latch 80 is attached to the side panel 18 cooperating with a spring-biased receiving member or catch 82 in the inner door member 36 to hold the doors in the fully open position. The locking mechanism 70 for opening the doors in the closed position can be utilized for releasing the catch 82 and releasing the doors 34 in the fully open position.

The exterior of each inner door 36 is included with a ladder which extends up and to the upper deck of the cargo area. As illustrated in the drawings in the open position, the ladder 84 can be used for accessing the upper deck. However, in the closed or open positions, the ladder 84 does not provide access to the roof of the railcar 10.

The end door design of the present invention allows for easy access for opening of the vehicle carrier railcar 10. The design is essentially based upon a simple bar linkage system which links each of the inner door member 36 and outer door member 38 together for each door 34 and securely attaches the doors 34 to the upper structure 16 (or other structure) of the railcar 10. When the doors 34 are opened, they fold onto themselves giving ample clearance for the exterior hand brake 29 as well as for access for loading and unloading the cars or small trucks. The doors 34 of the present invention are intended to snap or lock automatically onto the side of the railcar 10 with the door members 36 and 38 nested on top of themselves with the handbrake 29 easily accessible and the end opening of the railcar 10 unobstructed. It is anticipated that the same locking mechanism 70 that unlocks the door 34 from the closed position will release the doors from the stowed position on the side of the railcar 10. The present invention is intended to additionally decrease roof access and minimize door openings in the closed positions to protect the cargo in the interior, and to further provide an easy locking/unlocking operation and provide increase drive-in clearance to the open railcar while maintaining appropriate handbrake access. Furthermore, the door system of the present invention is intended to operate with a reduced or opening or operating force and without lubrication.

It will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The described embodiment is intended to be illustrative of the present invention and not restrictive thereof. The scope of the present invention is intended to be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereto.

Claims

WE CLAIM:

1. A vehicle carrier railcar comprising: an upper structure supported on an underframe, the upper structure defining an enclosed multi-level cargo space; and an end door system attached to at least one end of the upper structure for opening and closing an end of the cargo space, the door system comprising a pair of end doors pivotably attached to the upper structure through a vertical pivot axis, each door including an inner door member and an outer door member in which the door members are connected for movement from an aligned side-by-side position extending from the side of the railcar to a centerline of the railcar closing the cargo space when the door is in the closed position to an overlapping, nested position exterior and adjacent to the upper structure when the door is in the open position.

2. The railcar as claimed in claim 1 wherein a linkage assembly couples the inner door member and the outer door member to the upper structure for pivoting about the vertical pivot axis.

3. The railcar as claimed in claim 2 wherein at least one guide member is pivotably attached to and extending between the inner door member and the outer door member for guiding relative movement of the inner door member relative to the outer door movement during opening of the door.

4. The railcar as claimed in claim 3 wherein at least one guide member is pivotably attached to and extending between the outer door member and the upper structure for guiding relative movement of the outer door member relative to the upper structure during opening of the door.

5. The railcar as claimed in claim 4 wherein the guide members include an offset for accommodating the nesting of the inner door member on the outer door member in the open position, wherein in the open position the inner door member, the outer door member and a side of the upper structure is substantially parallel.

6. The railcar as claimed in claim 1 further including a latch for holding the doors in the open position.

7. The railcar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the inner door member includes a ladder on an exterior side thereof which is accessible when the door is in the open position.

8. An end door system for attachment to an upper structure of a vehicle carrier railcar for opening and closing an end of the cargo space of the railcar, the door system comprising: a pair of end doors pivotably attached to the railcar through a vertical pivot axis, each door including an inner door member, and an outer door member, wherein the door members are connected for movement from an aligned side by side position extending from the side of the railcar to a centerline of the railcar closing the cargo space when the door is in the closed position to an overlapping, nested position exterior and adjacent to a side of the railcar when the door is in the open position.

9. The door system as claimed in claim 8 wherein a linkage assembly couples the inner door member and the outer door member to the railcar for pivoting about the vertical pivot axis.

10. The door system as claimed in claim 9 wherein at least one guide member is pivotably attached to and extending between the inner door member and the outer door member for guiding relative movement of the inner door member relative to the outer door movement during opening of the door.

11. The door system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the guide members include an offset for accommodating the nesting of the inner door member on the outer door member in the open position, wherein in the open position the inner door member, the outer door member and a side of the railcar is substantially parallel.

12. The door system as claimed in claim 8 further including a latch for holding the doors in the open position.

13. The door system as claimed in claim 8 wherein the inner door member includes a ladder on an exterior side thereof which is accessible when the door is in the open position.

14. An end door system for attachment to a vehicle carrier railcar for opening and closing an end of the cargo space of the railcar, the door system comprising: at least one end door pivotably attached to the railcar through a vertical pivot axis, each door including an inner door member, and an outer door member, wherein the door members are connected for movement from an aligned side-by-side position extending from the side of the railcar to a centerline of the railcar closing the cargo space when the door is in the closed position to an overlapping, nested position exterior and adjacent to a side of the railcar when the door is in the open position; and at least one linkage assembly extending from the pivot axis to the inner door member and the outer door member, the linkage assembly including a main linkage arm pivotable about the vertical pivot axis, an inner door linkage arm extending from the main linkage arm to the inner door and an outer door linkage arm extending from the main linkage arm to the outer door member.

15. The door system as claimed in claim 14 wherein at least one guide member is pivotably attached to and extending between the inner door member and the outer door member for guiding relative movement of the inner door member relative to the outer door movement during opening of the door.

16. The door system as claimed in claim 15 wherein at least one guide member is pivotably attached to and extending between the outer door member and the railcar for guiding relative movement of the outer door member relative to the railcar during opening of the door.

17. The door system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the guide members include an offset for accommodating the nesting of the inner door member on the outer door member in the open position, wherein in the open position the inner door member, the outer door member and a side of the railcar structure is substantially parallel.

18. The door system as claimed in claim 17 further "including a latch for holding the doors in the open position.

19. The door system as claimed in claim 14 further including a locking mechanism for holding the doors in both the closed and the open position.